


the markson megabed collection

by theafterimages



Series: frat au [15]
Category: GOT7
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 07:10:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4737347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theafterimages/pseuds/theafterimages
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five ficlets relating to the formation of, and events relating to, Mark and Jackson's dorm room megabed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. but if you'll really hold me tight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [raindropcakes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raindropcakes/gifts).



> Mark has trouble adjusting to his first Maryland winter. Jackson’s way of helping him keep warm is… unconventional. (Set during December 2012)
> 
>  
> 
> (As always, this and all other GOT7 installments of Frat AU are designed to be read as their own entity, so even if you have no interest in the rest of Frat AU you should be able to follow along with the GOT7 fics. If any part of the overall AU is unclear during the GOT7 installments, please let me know and I will amend it.
> 
> Also, thank you to E, J and S for betaing these!)

Mark’s eyebrows shoot upwards as he reads the latest comment on the picture of the two of them Jackson had posted on Instagram earlier that night. "Bambam wishes you were there to keep him warm?"

"He's from Thailand; he still gets really cold here," Jackson says fondly. "Hey, you should ask him for, like, tips on staying warm or something."

Mark makes a noncommittal noise. Given that Bambam had spent the weekend they’d met taking every possible opening to touch, cling to, and otherwise stake his claim on a completely oblivious Jackson, Mark isn't convinced he wouldn't just let him freeze. 

Though at this rate he’s not even going to make it to Bambam’s next visit, he thinks wryly, huddling further into his blankets. After spending most of his life in California, winter in Maryland has been a huge adjustment. He’s been wearing coats since October, and now it’s early December and the temperatures are still dropping. Their ancient dorm’s unreliable heating system doesn’t help much. "Did it get even colder in here?"

"You’re the one who wants snow so bad," Jackson teases, and Mark groans and presses his face against his blankets.

It's worse once they turn the lights out and go to bed. Without the extra heat generated by his laptop, he's left huddling under his bedcovers, arms crossed tight over his chest, hoping his body heat will collect soon.

"You okay?" Jackson asks after a few minutes.

"If I freeze to death, tell my family I love them," he says grimly.

"Dude, are your teeth chattering?"

"Probably."

“Why didn’t you buy thicker sheets?”

“I keep forgetting!”

There's a moment of silence. Then, right as Mark’s about to pull the covers back over his head, Jackson blurts out, "You should just sleep with me."

Mark’s startled laugh is a lot more high-pitched than he’d like, enough to make himself cringe. “What?” he asks in disbelief, and rolls over to face Jackson. Light filtering through the edges of the window shade faintly illuminates the room, just enough that he can tell Jackson is looking back at him, but not enough to show his expression. 

“What?” He sits up, pulling the covers back as if to further illustrate his suggestion. “You’re freezing, I’m warm. You’ll fit. Why not?”

That's true. Sharing a bed would definitely keep Mark warm, since Jackson's like a human furnace. But… His eyes track down Jackson's strong arms, his broad chest, and he swallows. The bed isn’t big enough to allow for any sort of space between them, and Jackson’s so affectionate that he probably wouldn’t keep his distance even if it did. 

“Isn’t it kind of weird?” he asks at last, because it’s not like he’s going to say any of that.

“What’s weird about it? We’re friends, right?”

Mark hastily averts his eyes from the shadowy outline of Jackson’s abs. Right. Friends. "Okay," he agrees at last, and even in the dim light he can see Jackson’s grin.

Jackson covers them both as soon as Mark slides into place next to him, then drapes his arm over his waist and draws him back until Mark's back is flush against his chest. "Better?" Jackson asks. Mark knows him well enough that he can tell he’s smiling, already sure of what his answer will be.

He nods anyway, his eyes slipping shut as he all but dissolves into the mattress from contentment. The flannel sheets are soft and the blankets are thick and Jackson's so _warm_ , their bodies fitting together easily, like always. "Can I sleep here tomorrow?" he mumbles.

Jackson’s laugh is quiet for once; one Mark feels more than hears. "Maybe we should make a megabed."

Mark yawns. "A what?"

"Let’s talk about it later," he says, and when Mark hums in agreement Jackson kisses him just behind his ear. 

Well, now Mark's _face_ is definitely hot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be honest, when Jackson drifts awake his first thought is that it’s Zitao who’s curled up around him.

He hums sleepily, pressing his face against the pillow as he grinds back against the erection pressed insistently against his ass, his own cock stirring. Trading hand jobs doesn’t sound like a bad way to start the morning at all.

Then he hears a gasp and the guy he’s with jerks away, then gets out of bed entirely. Frowning, Jackson reaches back-

Which is when he remembers Zitao’s probably in Wonshik’s bed, not Jackson’s, and that the arm around his waist was too thin to be Zitao’s, anyway.

Which is when Jackson remembers inviting Mark to sleep with him the night before-

His eyes snap open and he sits up. “Mark?” he says just as the door slams shut.

Jackson rubs a hand over his face. Well, fuck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Jackson, I have a boyfriend,” Zitao says in a mock-gentle tone after Jackson finishes retelling the events of that morning at lunch, his eyes bright with mischief as he rests a hand on Jackson’s arm. “You need to move on-”

“Why do I tell you anything?” Jackson grumbles, and Zitao laughs, wrapping his arms around Jackson and resting his head on his shoulder.

“So are you going to ask him out now?”

“Because of one boner?” Jackson asks incredulously. “If I had to ask out everyone who-”

“I was thinking more because you’re stupidly in love-”

His heart does _not_ pound at Zitao's words. Of course not. “I’m _what_?”

“Emphasis on stupid,” Zitao says with a nod.

“I am not,” Jackson insists, scowling when he just laughs even more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark usually holes up in his room during his free time, so finding reasons to avoid it for the day is weird. But he’s decided avoiding it is his best bet, at least until he’s sure he can so much as look at Jackson without being slammed with memories of this morning, so he’s stuck coming up with things to do for the day. 

“I thought we’d never leave,” Jinyoung comments as they leave the animal shelter, late enough that the staff member who walks them to the door locks it behind them and puts up the Closed sign.

“Don’t say that,” Mark chides him, his voice partially muffled as he pulls the collar of his coat over the lower half of his face. “The dogs need company.” He’d spend even more time there if he could. No matter how cold it gets, he’s still the first to volunteer to take the dogs for walks. He hates seeing any of them in cages, and is always glad when he can help them get out for a while.

“I’d like it better if you’d actually help me get them to like me.”

“They like you more now! They don’t growl as much anymore.”

“I guess.” Jinyoung sighs dramatically. “I just don’t get it. What could they think is wrong with me?”

“You just need to relax.” Mark checks his phone and finds another text from Jackson.

_want to get dinner??_

Oh yeah, _that’ll_ go well, dinner with Jackson when Mark can’t stop obsessing over how good waking up this morning had felt for those first few seconds. Not just that he was pressed against him, though that had been too good, Jackson’s ass even better than he’d imagined—Mark forcefully wrenches his thoughts away yet again—but how both times he’s waken up entwined with Jackson this semester, he had felt like he was where he belonged.

Mark quickly looks up at Jinyoung, dismissing all thoughts of Jackson as best he can. It doesn’t really work, but he tries. “Want to go to Wade’s for dinner?” he suggests.

“Sure.”

_plans sorry_ , he texts Jackson, already flooded with guilt as he puts his phone away again. He just needs more time, that’s all.

He thinks he’s done a good job of seeming normal to Jinyoung, anyway, but that’s shattered almost as soon as their food is served. “Want to go by Omega Chi with me after we're done?” Jinyoung asks him as they start eating. “Jaebum’s gonna be hanging out with Jackson until pretty late, so I figured I’d go there.”

Mark rarely says no to spending time at the Omega Chi house, if only for the food, but at this point he’s been socializing all day. He’s long since been thinking longingly of his dorm bed and laptop full of unwatched Evangelion episodes. “No, uh, I have stuff to do-”

“You liar,” Jinyoung says indignantly, and Mark groans, covering his face with his hands. “I knew something was up. Why are you avoiding Jackson?”

“I’m not, it’s nothing-”

Jinyoung pokes his forehead. “Tell me. You owe me, for using me all day.”

Mark looks up at that. “I wasn’t using you! You’re the one who keeps saying you want me to teach you how to get along with the animals at the shelter.”

“Tell me everything,” he says, his tone coaxing now. “Come on, who do you tell all your problems to?”

He thinks about it for a moment. “Jackson, I guess.”

“Well, if you can’t talk to him then I’m all you’ve got,” Jinyoung points out, then makes a face. “It’s not like you can go to your friends back home.”

“I could call-”

“Nope, they’ll be useless. You can’t trust people who refer to themselves as _the homies_.” Mark’s not sure he’s ever heard someone pack that much judgment into two words before. Jinyoung shakes his head, then refocuses. “Trust me. Tell me everything.”

“No.” 

“Okay, then I’ll guess.” Jinyoung is silent for a long moment, stroking his chin. Mark avoids his contemplative stare, poking at his ravioli. “Does it involve Jackson’s ass?”

Mark’s head jerks up. “Did he tell you?” he demands, even as Jinyoung bursts out laughing.

“No! I just know how obsessed you are with his ass.”

“I’m not obsessed,” he says defensively.

“Do you know how many times we’ve all caught you staring? We even decided we can’t make it into a drinking game, since we’d all die of alcohol poisoning. And that’s saying something, since you guys spend so much time staring into each other’s eyes.”

Mark shakes his head, rubbing at the back of his neck. He hopes his face doesn’t look as red as it feels. “It’s not like—I mean, he’s like that with everyone.”

“He’s really not,” Jinyoung says flatly.

He shrugs. “If he liked me or something, he’d do something about it. It’s Jackson we’re talking about it.” And it’s not like Jackson hasn’t made a move on his fair share of people at Cartwright already. Mark’s seen him in action almost as soon as the semester started. 

“Unless he’s worried about ruining your friendship. Or he could think you didn’t like him back. You do keep hooking up with girls.” Jinyoung takes his hand, eyeing him solemnly. “Direct is best with Jackson. Just jump him.”

“I’m not going to jump him,” he says with a short laugh.

“Fine, just don’t say I didn’t try to help.”

“I won’t.” Mark squeezes his hand, then impulsively kisses the inside of his wrist.

Jinyoung snorts. “Don’t try to be cute with me,” he tells him, but he doesn’t let go of Mark’s hand, anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackson ends up staying out late, doing his weekly chores at the Kappa Tau house and then studying and hanging out with Jaebum. By the time he gets back to his room, Mark’s in his own bed and the light’s out.

Jackson sighs quietly, assuming that Mark’s asleep and he’ll have to wait until tomorrow to talk to him, but then he hears him make a quiet, dissatisfied noise and roll over onto his other side. “Are you awake?” Jackson whispers.

“Can’t sleep,” Mark mumbles. “Too cold.”

Just hearing his tired, frustrated voice puts everything into perspective. He wants to take care of Mark, always, no matter how weird the whole day’s been, or how he can’t stop thinking about how good it felt to wake up to—anyway! He always takes care of Mark, is the point, and that’s what matters.

Jackson looks around the room, then impulsively grabs his high school fencing team hoodie from where it’s draped over his desk chair and strides over to Mark. It’s the warmest sweater he owns, and while he usually doesn’t lend his clothes to anyone, desperate times.

“What are you doing?” Mark asks, his voice muffled since his blankets are pulled half-over his face.

Jackson thrusts the hoodie at him. “Here,” he says, ignoring the charge he feels when their hands brush as Mark frees one arm and takes it. He touches Mark all the time; there’s nothing weird about it! “That’ll keep you warm.”

“Uh, thanks.”

“Sure.” He watches Mark shrug the sweatshirt on, noticing in spite of himself how it hangs a little big on him, like it’d show flashes of his skin as he moves. Not as much as all those loose tank tops Mark wore at the beginning of the semester had, probably, but still— 

He quickly banishes that thought, though he can all but sense Zitao gloating about it from somewhere in the Kappa Tau house. Then, on impulse, he nudges Mark over and slips under the covers next to him. 

“Jackson, what-”

“This isn’t a big deal,” Jackson says hurriedly, propping himself up on his elbow so that he can meet Mark’s bewildered gaze. “We’re friends, and you’re cold. We can just share-”

“But this morning-”

“Dicks will be dicks!” Jackson insists, and Mark laughs shrilly. “I’m not, like, scarred for life or anything.”

“But-”

“It’s only weird if we let it be weird,” he says firmly, and is relieved to feel Mark relax against him. “So just go to sleep and don’t freeze to death.” He pauses as another possibility occurs to him. “I mean, if you want me to stay—if you liked it other than-”

“Yeah,” Mark says quickly, gripping Jackson’s arm. Pulling him closer, too, not that Jackson really thinks about it. “It’s fine. If you’re sure.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.” He gives Mark a quick squeeze, smiling to himself when Mark covers Jackson’s hand with his own and links their fingers. Everything feels better already. “Just go to sleep.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Mark gets cold, so you’re… putting the beds together so you can sleep together every night.” Jaebum’s watching from the doorway, brow furrowed, as Jackson sets up the megabed they had decided to make after he had nearly fallen out of Mark’s bed that morning.

“I just said that,” Jackson says as he gives Mark’s bed one last shove to get it in place against his own, then steps back to regard his handiwork with satisfaction. They can make do with the blankets they have until he brings his king-sized set from home this weekend. 

“That’s… normal.”

“It’s called _being a good friend_. What if it was Jinyoung? You wouldn’t let him freeze.”

“Jinyoung’s from Massachusetts,” Jaebum says dryly. “He’s fine.”

“Well, Mark’s from California, so he needs help. So I’m helping him. Because we’re friends.”

Jaebum snorts. “Sure.” 

Jackson just hopes Jaebum and Zitao don’t talk to each other about this. The last thing he needs is the whole frat thinking he and Mark are one step closer to hooking up, especially when the whole idea’s just. Ridiculous. The fact that he’d almost fallen out of bed mostly because it was _his_ turn to wake up hard and pressed against Mark doesn’t mean—

“—it looks tight-” Jaebum’s saying, recalling Jackson back to the conversation with a snap. 

“I don’t care if he is or not, we’re not sleeping together! I mean, we’re _sleeping_ together, but not-”

“I meant the bed being in that corner,” Jaebum informs him. After he finishes laughing so hard he’s clutching his stomach afterwards.

Jackson hates his life.


	2. my heart beats only for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson doesn’t sleep as well without Mark anymore. Because they’re friends. Obviously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Also, for those of you who are interested in requesting a ficlet from me this holiday season, I posted [my holiday season ficlets request post](http://eveninadream.livejournal.com/15390.html) yesterday!)
> 
> Set during January 2013

“WHERE’S MY MARK?” Jackson yells as he strides through the dorm hallway, already grinning as he rifles through his pocket for his dorm room key. 

Obviously he’d had a great winter break. He’d loved getting to spend so much time with his mom after four months at Cartwright, and getting to see Bambam and his other friends back home had been great, and he’d really needed that break from classes. But Cartwright’s home now, too, and he’s glad to be back for a lot of reasons, including (okay, especially) seeing Mark again. 

“Not coming until tomorrow!” Jaebum calls back from next door.

Jackson freezes, his smile vanishing, and then runs past his own room and into Jaebum’s. He’s unpacking diligently, while Jinyoung is sprawled out on the other bed, serenely ignoring his own luggage. He gives Jackson a quick wave before returning his attention to his phone.

Jackson doesn’t have the presence of mind to acknowledge him, just demands of Jaebum, “ _Tomorrow_?”

“Yeah, he tweeted about it.”

“But he’s getting in today. The 12th.”

“No, tomorrow’s the 12th,” Jaebum says patiently.

“It is?” Jackson yanks his phone out of his pocket to double check, and then groans when he sees the date. “Are you sure?”

He laughs. “Come on, Jackson. You can wait another day, right?”

Jackson pastes on a smile, like his heart isn’t steadily sinking. “Right.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

No matter how much Jackson tosses and turns when he finally goes to bed that night, he just can’t find a comfortable position. The fact that he _can_ toss and turn, that he doesn’t have to worry about disturbing Mark and that he doesn’t have Mark there to mold himself around by default, is disconcerting enough that his eyes pop back open every time he does.

It’s not like sharing a bed with Mark is perfect. It gets hot, and sometimes Mark kicks in his sleep, and don’t even get Jackson started on the nights after the cafeteria serves chili. But Jackson’s used to him, and if his bed at home had felt empty, being alone in the megabed is unbearable. He’d take a week of chili dinners—well, okay, maybe not a week, but still—over this.

He can’t even take advantage of the situation and jerk off, since given how all he can think about right now is Mark that would probably get… weird. His dick gives a traitorous twitch at the idea, and he scowls. Like he needed tonight to be any worse.

Grumbling, he wraps his arms around Mark’s pillow—he has to hold onto _something_ , and it’s the closest thing available—and squeezes his eyes shut, determined to get to sleep.

But after another twenty unsuccessful minutes, he finally grabs his phone and texts Mark, squinting as his eyes adjust to the bright screen. _when does ur plane get in_

_8_ , Mark texts back, then adds, _ill be there at 10 i think_.

_k_. He bites his lip, considering, and then adds, _lmk when u land_

_ok mom_

Jackson snaps on the bedside lamp so he can take a picture of himself pouting exaggeratedly, which he sends to Mark captioned, _im being a good roommate!!_

His phone lights up again a few seconds later, but this time instead of a text the chorus of _We Are the Champions_ starts to play instead, a ringtone reserved for one person. “I can’t sleep,” Jackson says as soon as he accepts the call. “You not being here is so weird!”

Mark laughs quietly, and he smiles at the familiar, albeit distant, sound and lies back down. Even hearing him makes Jackson feel a little better. “It’s just one night. It’s not like I’ll get snowed in for a week or something.”

“Don’t jinx it!”

“Jackson, I’m in California.” 

“Don’t jinx it, anyway,” Jackson says firmly, burrowing into the blankets. “You have to come back. I like sleeping. I _need_ sleep.”

“So sleep, then! I’ll be there tomorrow. Today, for you.” There’s a sudden burst of voices on Mark’s end of the call, but Jackson can’t make any of it out until he hears Mark exclaim, in that high-pitched tone Jackson recognizes from times he’s been particularly flustered, “Joey, shut up!”

Jackson snickers. “What?”

“Nothing,” he says quickly. “Hold on.” Jackson can hear movement in the background, the voices dying down, and assumes he’s going to a new room. “Am I keeping you up?”

He makes a noncommittal sound, wrapping his free arm around Mark’s pillow again. His eyes are already drifting shut. “Mm, just talk to me. How’s your family? How’s your dad?”

“You like my dad more than me, don’t you?”

“He’s pretty cool,” Jackson says, and grins against the pillow when he hears Mark’s disbelieving laugh. “Don’t worry, you’re my favorite. Like I’m your favorite.”

“Well, there’s Jinyoung-” he begins.

“ _Mark_!” Jackson says indignantly, and Mark bursts out laughing.

His phone is next to him on the pillow when he wakes up, and he blinks blearily at it, trying to think back to the night before. The last thing he remembers is listening to Mark retelling a story about his debate with the homies about who should be the next Marvel superhero to get a movie. The call’s not still going, so Mark must have still been awake when Jackson fell asleep. 

Jackson’s still smiling to himself as he gets up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackson gets through the remaining hours somehow, though it seems like forever until he finally hears Mark’s key turn in the lock. He snaps to attention, narrowly avoiding dropping his phone on his face, and sits up on the bed, then lunges out of it as the doorknob starts to turn. 

Mark barely has time to set his backpack down before Jackson barrels into him with enough enthusiasm that he can’t keep his footing. They end up stumbling out in the hallway, clinging to each other and laughing with sheer punch-drunk glee.

“Happy now?” Jackson hears Jaebum ask him from nearby.

“ _Yes_ ,” he says, and pulls Mark back into the room, Mark yanking the door shut behind them.

He actually picks Jackson up and swings him around in a quick circle, until Jackson kicks his feet in the air and Mark sets him back down. Jackson immediately walks backward toward the bed and pulls Mark down onto it with him, then rolls over until he’s half sprawled on top of Mark. This is just what he’d wanted yesterday, but it's even better now, the rest of his stress melting away because he has Mark here with him.

“Good flight?” he mumbles into his shoulder.

Mark exhales loudly, slinging his arm around Jackson’s waist. “Mmhmm. Long.”

“Good drive?”

“Mmhmm. Long.”

Jackson lifts his head, laughing at him. “You make it sound like they’re the same!”

“They felt like it. I wanted to be here sooner.”

“Awww, you missed me so much,” Jackson teases quickly. Not his best effort, but he’s a little distracted by how something about Mark’s words has him feeling hot all over.

Mark makes a face but doesn’t open his eyes. “I’m not the one who couldn’t sleep alone.”

“You sleep better with me, too!”

“Maybe,” he says, and smiles when Jackson presses a loud kiss to his temple. “My stuff-”

“I’ll get it,” Jackson assures him, and cuddles closer.

“I need to shower.”

“Okay,” he says, and doesn’t move. Mark sighs quietly and squeezes him, wrapping one leg around Jackson’s.

Jackson sleeps better that night than he has in weeks.


	3. and love me, baby please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bambam’s the first person other than Mark and Jackson to sleep in the megabed, but it doesn’t feel as much like a victory as he’d thought it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set during spring 2013.

Bambam has been looking forward to visiting Cartwright for months. After all the stories Jackson’s told him, he’s eager to see everything—the dorms, the campus, Kappa Tau, the ZBZs, the town, the food. And most of all, he’s eager to see Jackson. 

“How are you going to pick me up?” he remembers to ask the night before the trip. “Will your car be fixed by then?” He pulls out two more of his new shirts, eyeing them critically. One’s tighter on him, but the other shows off more of his collarbone, so it’s a tough call—

“Not yet,” Jackson says. “Mark’s gonna drive me.”

His hand drops halfway to picking up the shirt he’d chosen. “What?”

“Yeah, so then you’ll get to see him, too!”

Bambam stares up at the ceiling in despair, heaving a silent sigh. The last thing he wanted was to spend the weekend watching Jackson thirst over Mark. “Sounds great!” he lies anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When he gets in the next afternoon, Mark and Jackson are waiting on one of the train station’s benches, Jackson’s arm around Mark’s waist. Bambam is gratified to see how quickly Jackson ditches Mark as soon as he catches sight of him, though, hurrying over and grabbing Bambam in a tight hug, like it’s been three months since they last saw each other instead of three weeks.

Bambam cuddles close, the whole Mark issue forgotten in the initial rush of being with Jackson again. He has lots of other friends, but Jackson’s the one who’d taken him under his wing despite their three-year age difference when Bambam and his family had first moved into the neighborhood; who’d tirelessly helped him perfect his English, and who had in a lot of ways set the standards not only for who Bambam wanted to be with but also who Bambam wanted to be. 

Not being able to see Jackson all the time anymore has been hard to get used to, but Bambam’s learning to make the most of the time that they do get together. He’s determined to do it this weekend, too, no matter how much of it they also spend with Mark.

“How was the ride?” Jackson asks as he pulls back.

“ _Long_. I was so ready to get off the train.” 

“Yeah, I always just want to get there. Like, do they really need to make so many stops?”

Bambam’s about to reply when he sees Mark approaching. Jackson notices him, too, and lights up, grabbing Mark’s wrist and pulling him over to his side.

Mark smiles at Bambam. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Mark’s—okay, fine, Bambam can’t even insist to _himself_ that Mark’s not that attractive, because he is. But he still doesn’t get it. Mark’s hot, but not Jackson’s usual type of hot, and he’s so quiet. Why is Jackson so obsessed with him?

“Okay, let’s go!” Jackson says, slinging Bambam’s second bag over his shoulder. Bambam quickly links arms with him. It’s easy to resist the temptation to give Mark a triumphant look when he can bask in Jackson’s smile instead. “Oh, hey, did you eat anything on the train? Do you want lunch? There’s this place Kangjoon and I found, we can go there. Their hamburgers are huge, just wait til you see them...”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The car ride doesn’t change his opinion about Mark. He’s still quiet, he’s still nice. He offers to let Bambam plug in his iPod so they can listen to one of his playlists on the way, and otherwise he doesn’t do much more than interject the occasional comment, just drives and listens as Bambam and Jackson talk. 

“When are you getting a better car, anyway?” Bambam asks Jackson at one point. 

“I will, I’ve just been too busy! And I can always get a ride when I need one.”

Bambam has a flashback to that picture Jackson had posted at the beginning of the school year, of himself in his friend Zitao’s flashy car, Zitao being much too attractive in the driver’s seat. _I bet_ , he doesn’t say.

“If you guys need to go anywhere else, just let me know,” Mark offers. “I have some stuff to do tomorrow, but other than that I can probably take you wherever.”

“Maybe your roommate will be almost this great,” Jackson tells Bambam, laughing as he leans forward in his seat and squeezes Mark’s shoulders. Bambam’s stomach drops as he watches Mark grin back at Jackson in the rearview mirror, his teeth sharp and white and his eyes warm. This was definitely not on his list of things at Cartwright he wanted to see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bambam’s gotten glimpses of their room before, in their Instagram posts or in the background when he and Jackson Skype. It’s surprisingly large for a dorm room (and the heating really is as bad as Jackson had said, he notes with a shiver) but otherwise pretty typical, except for how their beds have been shoved together over on the right side of the room.

“There really is a lot of room in the megabed,” he comments, as if the way the sheets are rumpled solely in one area doesn’t make their nighttime arrangement all too clear. He forces a smile. “So where am I going to sleep?”

“Oh!” Jackson says, starting. “Uh-”

“Didn’t you think about it already?”

“I was planning all the stuff we’re gonna do while we’re awake!”

“You can just sleep in the bed,” Mark says, his tone mild.

Bambam and Jackson both turn sharply to face him. “What about you?” Jackson asks. “It’s not _that_ big.”

“I’ll stay at Omega Chi,” he says with a shrug. “I have a paper to write, anyway, and that way you guys can have the room to yourselves.” He flashes Bambam a quick smile. 

Bambam hesitantly smiles back, though he can’t stop it from slipping again when he looks at Jackson. Okay, so he might learn to like Mark, but he’s not sure he’ll ever be okay with the way Jackson looks so crushed right now, like the idea of spending even two days without Mark constantly around is hard for him.

“Are you sure?” Jackson asks.

“It’s fine,” Mark assures him. “They have these really nice guest suites, and a continental breakfast.”

Bambam does a double-take. “At a frat house?”

“Yeah, Omega Chi has all kinds of-”

“No, no trying to brainwash him!” Jackson objects, covering Bambam’s ears. “Bambam’s joining KT, okay!”

Bambam squirms away, laughing, his stomach flipping the way it always does when Jackson gets possessive. “Tell me more about it,” he says to Mark, just for how Jackson protests and wraps his arms around Bambam, pulling him a few steps away from Mark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner at the cafeteria and several hours at the Kappa Tau house (nothing especially scandalous had happened, much to Bambam’s disappointment, but everyone was both hot and nice so he has high hopes for the day he’ll finally be a member) Bambam’s yawning enough that Jackson pulls him to his feet from his spot on the floor next to Jaebum, even though the movie they’ve been watching isn’t over. 

“It’s Bambam’s bedtime,” Jackson tells the others, and Bambam’s too tired to even be bothered by the teasing.

The walk back to the dorm, Bambam tucked against Jackson’s side as a further safeguard against the chilly evening air while Jackson chatters away about everything they can do tomorrow, wakes Bambam up some. By the time they crawl into the megabed, he’s alert enough to notice how quiet Jackson has become. This isn’t the first time they’ve shared a bed over the years, but it is the first time Bambam’s felt like he’s trespassing in the process.

“Thanks for letting me stay,” he ventures after a minute.

Jackson rolls back over. “Any time,” he tells him, pulling him closer so he can press a loud kiss against his forehead. “Come back next weekend. Or just stay here and finish school online or something!”

“If I stay, do I get to join KT?”

“ _No_.”

“So what am I supposed to do when you have frat stuff?”

“You can hang out with Mark,” Jackson answers promptly, “and we’ll find you a play group for when he’s busy.”

“Jackson!” Bambam says with a disbelieving laugh, and Jackson laughs, too. “I’m not a kid anymore!”

“I know,” he says, patting his cheek. Heart pounding, Bambam stares at him, only to be inevitably let down when he follows it up with, “But you’ll always be my baby Bambam, right?”

_No._ “Right,” he says anyway.

Jackson’s phone vibrates and he turns away to retrieve it from his desk, opening the text.

“Who is it?” Bambam asks.

Jackson grins, though he doesn’t take his eyes off whatever he’s typing. “Mark. He said to quit bugging you and go to sleep.”

Bambam’s heart sinks, but he puts on a smile. “He knows you really well, huh?”

“Yeah,” he says, his voice so soft that it hurts to hear.

Bambam’s wondered for years now what it would be like to see Jackson in love with someone, and some part of him is mildly gratified that so many of his guesses were right—the look in Jackson’s eyes; the way he does everything he can think of to make sure that person’s happy and well cared for; the way he talks about them constantly to other people when they’re not around and gravitates to their side when they are.

He had been right about all of it, but it’s hard to be too pleased when Jackson’s this way about someone other than him.

But oh well, he thinks, staring at Jackson's soft expression and the fond curve of his mouth. It doesn’t count as Jackson choosing Mark over him if he doesn’t even see Bambam as being old enough for there to be a choice. It’s fine. He has three years until he can get to Cartwright and sweep Jackson off his feet. That’s plenty of time for him to get over this whole Mark Tuan phase. 

It’ll happen, Bambam’s still telling himself as he falls asleep, even though he’s already anything but sure.


	4. without even knowing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jackson and Mark decide on a new rule regarding the megabed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set during spring 2013

This makes roughly the millionth time Zitao and Jackson have tackled each other onto something, either to scuffle or just to cuddle. But it’s the first time they’ve toppled onto the megabed, and the first time Jackson pins Zitao down and looks up at Mark, breathless with laughter, only to find that Mark’s not smiling.

Jackson has a sudden, abrupt flashback to the day at the beginning of the year, when Mark had walked in on him in bed with Zitao. In half the megabed, technically. He promptly springs to his feet as that odd sense of guilt hits him all over again, pulling a bewildered Zitao back off the mattress. “Who said you were allowed in the megabed, anyway?”

Zitao pouts exaggeratedly, playing along without hesitation, although he’s studying Jackson too closely for his liking. “There isn’t a law or anything.”

“There is now,” Jackson says firmly. He returns to the bed, settling in behind Mark and wrapping his arms around him, resting his chin on Mark’s shoulder. Mark’s oddly stiff against him, almost like on mornings when one of them has to pretend they’re not awake so the other can make a vaguely dignified escape. Jackson doesn’t entirely know how to read his reaction, he just knows that his first instinct is to comfort him, and this is always the best way he can think of. “The megabed is a Tao-free zone.”

“ _Fine_ ,” Zitao says dramatically. “It’s not as good as mine and Wonshik’s, anyway.”

This time Mark and Jackson both squawk indignantly and jolt right back out of the megabed, the odd moment forgotten in their rush to avenge the its honor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackson forgets all about it until a few weeks later, when he returns to his room to retrieve his phone charger and finds Mark sitting on the bed with who Jackson assumes is his history tutor, Ahyeon.

He had known they were going to be meeting tonight, like they do on every Monday, but he’d assumed that they’d be at the library as usual. Not that they’d be meeting here, on the _megabed_. Ahyeon is wearing leggings, and Mark’s wearing one of those low-cut tank tops he likes so much, the sight of which is extra distracting right now. Jackson _can see his chest mole_. He’s pretty sure that’s not appropriate for studying!

Unless it’s a study date, he realizes, his stomach twisting. Is Mark on a date? Is Mark on a date on their megabed? 

He decides he’d better check. Subtly. “So how’s the studying going? Getting lots of studying done? Because you study together?”

Mark stares up at him, his brow furrowed. “I thought you were with Zitao.”

“I am—I’m going there, I mean. I just came back for…” Jackson promptly loses track of the conversation when he notices that they’re sitting so close together that their thighs are touching. _Thigh touching_???? On the _megabed_????

“ _Jackson_ ,” Mark says. It’s clear in his tone that it isn’t the first time he’s called his name, but he still smiles when he snaps to attention. He has a nice smile, Jackson thinks, and wonders if Ahyeon thinks so, too. Or if she ever notices his collarbones, or—

“Yeah? Right. I have my phone. So. I’ll go.”

“Okay,” Mark says slowly.

Ahyeon, meanwhile, has been mostly focused on her book this whole time, though she’s looked up a few times to silently judge. She does it again now, and Jackson gives her a quick smile. “Nice to meet you,” he says, because it’s not like he can vent about the sacredness of the megabed to someone he’s only just met. Next time, maybe.

“You, too,” she says, bemused.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut to fifteen minutes later, when Jackson has made it to Zitao’s room and is pouring everything out to him. He’s relatively calmer after an extensive cuddling session, but that doesn’t mean he’s run out of things to say yet.

“They were sitting _so close_ ,” Jackson complains, the memory alone making him burrow closer to Zitao. “On the bed! Their thighs were touching! Are tutors even allowed to sit that close to someone?”

“Did you tell her it was against the megabed rules?” Zitao teases.

Jackson huffs. Zitao never understands these things when he needs him to. “There aren’t any megabed rules-”

“So what’s the big deal?”

“It just… is,” he says stubbornly.

Zitao rubs his back, kissing the top of his head. It’s all very reassuring, at least until he adds, “You realize you’re complaining about this while cuddling with _me_ in _my_ bed, right?”

“Uh, I know where I am, Tao.” He has no idea what the judgmental stare Zitao promptly levels at him is for, but at least he’s sure the one he gives him in return outdoes it.

“Plus, are you really allowed to complain when I was in the megabed with you and I did a lot more to your thighs than-”

Jackson swats his stomach, laughing when Zitao whines. “It wasn’t the megabed then! That was just my bed. It’s different.”

“Your bed is half the-”

“It’s _different_.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Jackson returns to the room, Mark’s alone in bed this time, burrowed under the covers and watching something on his laptop. It’s a scene Jackson’s walked in on a hundred times since the start of the year, one that feels like coming home.

Jackson slips off his shoes and trudges over to him. No matter how weird earlier was, it still makes him feel warm all over when Mark smiles up at him. “What are you watching?”

“Naruto. Jaebum lent me some of his DVDs.”

“Oh, I’ve seen some of that! Bambam likes it a lot. You should talk to him about it sometime!”

Mark nods. “Are you staying?”

“For a while.” Jackson almost asks if he can watch with him, but he refuses to let things be _that_ weird between them, so instead he gets under the covers, too, curling against Mark’s side and sighing contentedly when Mark wraps his arm around his shoulders. Cuddling with Zitao is nice—cuddling with everybody is nice—but no one compares to Mark.

“Did you have a good time? While you and Ahyeon were-”

“Studying,” Mark says patiently, and something in Jackson’s chest eases. “She’s just tutoring me, that’s all.”

“She’s hot,” Jackson says after a moment.

“Yeah.” He shrugs. “Not my type, I guess.”

“Do you have a type?” Jackson grins. “Let me guess, they have to look good in a Sailor Mars outfit?”

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," Mark says with a quick laugh.

Jackson laughs, too. It would be easy to change the subject and move on, but he knows he's not done yet. “Did I make things weird earlier?” Mark nods, and Jackson’s stomach sinks. “I’m sorry.”

“I know. It’s okay.” Mark gives him a quick squeeze, and then hesitantly adds, “I was thinking… maybe we just shouldn’t let anybody else on the megabed. I mean, like, their clothes could be dirty, or-”

“Right, yeah,” he says quickly. “Let’s just make it a rule. No one on the megabed but us.”

“Just us,” he agrees, his smile wider than ever, and Jackson cuddles him some more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

( **Bonus:**

“Don’t ask a lot of questions this time, okay?” Mark tells him before resuming the episode.

Jackson squawks indignantly. “I’ve seen it, remember? I won’t need to ask questions!”

He only asks a few, for the record. Most of the time he’s perfectly quiet during the next episode and a half, just enjoying being with Mark, resting his head against his shoulder and absently stroking his thigh.

Jackson stirs as the second episode comes to an end. “Want to go eat?”

“You, uh.” Mark’s eyes are fixed on the screen, though Jackson’s not sure what’s so interesting about the end credits. “You go ahead. I’ll meet you there.”

“Are you sure? I can wait.” He leans forward, squeezing Mark’s thigh a little, and Mark jumps.

“I’m sure!” he says, his voice cracking on the words.

Jackson laughs, can’t help it, and Mark snatches one of the pillows and hits him with it. “Just go, it’s fine!”

“If you say so,” he says, rolling out of bed. “I’ll text you what they have.”

“Okay, cool.”

He hesitates at the door, looking back at Mark. His face is kind of red and he’d sounded so strained. Come to think of it, Mark had gotten quieter and more tense as the show had gone on. He had assumed he was just absorbed in the story, but what if he isn’t feeling well and Jackson hadn’t noticed? “Are you sure you’re okay? I can bring you something back-”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Mark insists, and Jackson finally gives up.

“Okay, okay. See you soon, then.”)


	5. and since we've no place to go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the first snow day of the season, and Mark and Jackson enjoy the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set during January 2014

Mark stirs awake to find that Jackson’s already kissing his way down his neck, his hands stroking along Mark’s sides. Given that Mark wakes up to Jackson’s mouth on his dick more often than not, the only thing surprising about this is that for once he’s taking his time, the press of his lips against Mark’s skin soft and unhurried.

“What time’s it?” Mark mumbles, twisting around to fumble for his phone.

Jackson pulls him back around, then shifts up so that they’re facing each other, sharing Mark’s pillow. “Doesn’t matter. Snow day, remember?”

Now Mark remembers why he’s so groggy. Last night there had been a dorm-wide snow celebration, the way there always is when it’s early enough in the year that snow is still a novelty. Everyone had poured outside to watch the first snowfall of the season and play in it once enough had gathered, erupting into cheers when the mass text announcing the cancellation of the next day’s classes reached everyone’s phones at 2AM. Mark had stayed outside until Jinyoung had convinced Jackson and Jaebum to call their snowball fight a draw, and then he and Jackson had been awake in their room for another hour, warming up in more than one way.

“Maybe we should get up,” he says reluctantly. 

Jackson inches closer, one hand stroking his nape. His eyes drop to Mark’s lips. “I don’t want to,” he murmurs. “Do you?”

Mark shakes his head and leans in, threading one hand through Jackson’s sleep-flattened hair. The kiss that follows is lazy, Mark falling easily into the languid rhythm Jackson sets, smiling just a little at Jackson’s sigh as Mark coaxes his lips apart. 

Most mornings when they have sex it’s rushed—they have to do something with their frats, or get to a class, or Jackson has to go work out or meet up with someone. Today, though, they don’t have to go anywhere. Mark can take his time, just indulging himself in kissing and touching Jackson all he wants. 

It lasts until an entirely different need calls too loudly for Mark to ignore. He nudges Jackson’s calf with his foot, Jackson murmuring in acknowledgement, although Mark’s still the one that has to break the kiss. Undaunted, Jackson flashes him a quick smile, then starts kissing his jawline. 

“Jackson,” Mark insists, tightening his grip on his waist.

“Hmm?” Jackson presses one last kiss to the hinge of his jaw, then nips at his earlobe, laughing when Mark jumps.

“I have to pee,” Mark says quickly before Jackson can make his next move.

“ _Now_? Can you wait?”

“… _I have to pee_ ,” he says again, but he can’t help laughing at the look of dismay on Jackson’s face.

“Why now, everything was perfect!” 

“I can come back—”

“It won’t be the same!”

“-or you can get up and we can shower.”

Jackson grimaces. “Already?”

“You were saying like last week you wanted more time to shower together,” Mark reminds him. He’d definitely agreed. He can picture it already—steam fogging up the air, Jackson pinning him against the shower wall as he jerks them off together under the spray. Jackson’s hands and mouth everywhere, always, but this time with intent, nothing held back. Mark doesn’t realize his hand has strayed to Jackson’s half-hard cock until he moans and arches up into Mark’s touch, his eyes momentarily squeezing shut.

“That’s cheating,” Jackson accuses.

“Sorry, I didn’t-” he begins, hastily letting go-

Only for Jackson to grab his hand. “You can keep going!” he bursts out. Mark laughs and can’t resist giving him a quick kiss, which leads to a second, and then to Mark rapidly losing count.

“Come on,” he says between kisses, biting lightly at Jackson’s bottom lip when Jackson groans his name. “Shower. Before Jinyoung gets up.”

Jackson eyes him contemplatively, then the bathroom door. After a few seconds he lunges out of bed, tugging on Mark’s wrist. “What are you waiting for?” he demands, and Mark grins and lets Jackson tow him along.


End file.
